How county’s mayors will have to unite as One Yorkshire – Matthew Howarth

For many it is a bittersweet moment. Whilst welcoming the new mayor to be elected in West Yorkshire, and rooting for a successful outcome to discussions with North and East Yorkshire, the four mayor model was not the outcome that most politicians and many others sought.

Instead there was, and a remains, a desire by many for one Yorkshire-wide mayor. That does not mean that there is no scope for a Yorkshire-wide view on the many policy matters upon which all four corners of the region have a mutual interest.

Instead, what we need, as Policy Yorkshire’s report on Yorkshire’s Voice outlines, is a clear framework in which four mayors can collaborate wherever possible and provide a united public voice as we have seen to be effective in Greater Manchester.

We call on mayors in the region to decide between them who will lead on which Yorkshire-wide policy issues to ensure a clear voice on each, working hand in glove with the region’s local authorities.

As Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, rightly pointed out during a webinar we hosted on this topic, the public are yearning for a less partisan and more collaborative approach to their politics.

Already council leaders across the region have been able to work together and our mayors need to do likewise.

Such collaboration however will only work if each of the mayors in Yorkshire have the same powers.

The very real danger we foresee in our report would be lopsided settlements in which some mayors in the region look on with envy at the powers enjoyed by others. Each mayor needs to have equality of standing.

This feeds into the Government’s forthcoming Devolution White Paper. In keeping with the Prime Minister’s belief in big and bold ideas, Ministers have two options.

Either radical proposals that seek to considerably strengthen the powers available to mayors, or a fig leaf that continues to stoke the grievances that many mayors have that they simply do not have the powers to make a radical difference to their communities.

It is for that reason that we propose a new approach to devolution – an assumption in favour of devolving powers to mayors unless there is good reason why they should not be.

Linked with this, the devolution of more powers needs to be matched by a commitment that mayors also have the ability to raise and spend the money they need to exercise them.

The sight during the pandemic of mayors and council leaders across the North having to go cap in hand to the Government for the resources needed to support the communities they know best has undermined the whole notion of a Northern Powerhouse.

It has served only to emphasis the centralising, mighty power of central government.

We are under no illusion about how challenging such an approach would be. Not least, the political difficulties it might cause for Ministers who have fought battles with assertive mayors seen to be standing up for their regions.

Then there is the problem of over-coming the control freakery of the Treasury, the biggest stumbling block to effective devolution.

It will also need a clear strategy by political leaders in Yorkshire to show that mayors and local authorities across the region can handle and use more powers responsibly and be willing to be held to account accordingly.

All of this needs to be underpinned by the innovative, evidence-based policy ideas that the former head of the civil service, Lord Kerslake, spoke so clearly about the region needing during our webinar.

Yorkshire is at a pivotal moment in its history. New directly-elected mayors provide the opportunity for bespoke policy to be developed and implemented, recognising the needs of our diverse communities.

Our proposals, we believe, will enable the region to move forward with confidence and strength and to assert itself once again as an economic, cultural and sporting powerhouse – qualities needed perhaps more than ever as we look to emerge from the impacts of the pandemic.

Matthew Howarth is
 Chair of Policy Yorkshire.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.